Kilusan Newsletter

PAHAYAG NG PAGKONDENA NG KILUSAN-TUCP

2026-04-02T08:12:00.009+08:00

Mariing kinokondena ni Arthur F. Juego, Presidente ng Pambansang Kilusan ng Paggawa (Kilusan-TUCP), ang hindi makatarungang pagpapatalsik ng Asia Brewery sa 139 na manggagawa nito.

Ang maramihang pagtanggal na ito ay naganap matapos manindigan ang mga manggagawa para sa kanilang karapatan sa makatarungang bahagi ng mga benepisyo (just share of benefits) mula sa kumpanya. Ayon kay President Juego, ang aksyong ito ay isang malinaw na pag-abuso sa kapangyarihan at paglabag sa karapatan ng mga manggagawa na humiling ng disenteng pamumuhay at sapat na kompensasyon.

"Hindi katanggap-tanggap na ang tugon ng kumpanya sa makatwirang hiling ng mga manggagawa ay ang pag-alis sa kanilang kabuhayan. Ang 139 na pamilyang nawalan ng hantungan ay biktima ng anti-worker na polisiya na hindi natin papayagan," pahayag ni Juego.

Nananawagan ang Kilusan-TUCP sa Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) na agad na i-cite ang kumpanya sa labor violations, ipatigil ang tanggalan, at tiyakin ang agarang reinstatement ng mga apektadong manggagawa.

Ibalik ang mga tinanggal na manggagawa!

Hustisya para sa mga manggagawa ng Asia Brewery!

Emergency Power without Sectoral Consultation and Cohesive Plan is Prone to Abuse

2026-03-26T07:52:00.003+08:00

The declaration of a national state of energy emergency by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raises serious questions among them, the lack of clear plan and democratic consultations with different sectors.

Extraordinary powers demand a clear plan. Yet the government has not presented a concrete strategy explaining how these emergency powers will actually address the crisis. Declaring a national emergency without a clear roadmap is the perfect recipe for abuse.

Executive Order No. 110 itself concedes that the measures to address the crisis are to be undertaken ‘under existing laws.’ In other words, the power was always there - the plan was not.

Instead of resorting to sweeping emergency measures without a clear program, the President should have convened a national summit bringing together workers, employers, farmers, transport groups, and civil society to unite the country around a common strategy to confront the crisis.

Workers and ordinary people are the ones suffering from rising prices and economic uncertainty. They deserve more than vague declarations and emergency powers.

If the government has no clear answers and ends up more confused than the vulnerable sectors, then it should have the humility to ask the people. Real solutions will not come from emergency proclamations but from a nation mobilized behind a clear, democratic plan to confront the crisis.

Workers do not need a state of emergency; they need a State with a plan. If government cannot present one, it should at least have the humility to listen by convening a forum for consultation —otherwise, all we have is sound and fury, signifying nothing.

TUCP TAKES LEADERSHIP ROLE AT SUCCESSFUL ASEAN-TUC TRIENNIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

2026-02-11T19:30:00.001+08:00

The TUCP delegation, spearheaded by TUCP President and House Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza, actively took part in the successful ASEAN Trade Union Council (ASEAN-TUC) Triennial General Assembly led by ASEAN-TUC President Andi Gani Nena Wea.

The Assembly gathered trade union leaders across the region to strengthen solidarity and advance workers’ rights in ASEAN. During the event, President Mendoza was elected as the new General Secretary of ASEANTUC on behalf of TUCP and the Philippine labor movement—a strong affirmation of TUCP’s growing leadership and commitment to regional unity for decent work, fair wages, and social justice.

TODAY MARKS TUCP’S 50TH FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY | TREASURING UNITY, CREATING PROSPERITY

2025-12-14T11:00:00.005+08:00

Today, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) proudly marks its 50th Founding Anniversary, celebrating five decades of unity, leadership, and unwavering advocacy for Filipino workers. As the largest labor center in the Philippines, TUCP continues to champion workers’ rights, social justice, and inclusive growth through strong unionism and tripartite cooperation.

Anchored on the theme “TREASURING UNITY, CREATING PROSPERITY,” this milestone honors TUCP’s rich history while renewing its commitment to build a resilient labor movement, protect decent work, and help create a more prosperous future for all working Filipinos.

#TUCP50thAnniversary

KUMONTRA ANG TUCP SA PANG-AABUSO AT NANGANGASIWA SA KARAPATAN NG MANGINGISDA

2025-11-26T22:00:00.014+08:00

Nanguna ang TUCP sa panawagan para sa karapatan ng mga mangingisdang Pilipino at makatarungang kondisyon sa paggawa sa pagdinig ng House of Representatives Committee on Labor and Employment. Ipinahayag ni Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza, TUCP Party-list Representative at Deputy Speaker, ang matibay na suporta sa agarang ratipikasyon ng ILO Convention No. 188 o Work in Fishing Convention upang matiyak ang labor protection, makatarungang sahod, at social protection ng mga lokal at migranteng mangingisda.

Kasabay nito ay inilahad ang dokumentaryo tungkol sa mga Filipino Migrant Fishermen na patuloy na nakararanas ng labor exploitation, forced labor, at kakulangan ng proteksiyong paggawa sa international fishing industry.

TUCP PARTY-LIST NAGHAIN NG PANUKALA LABAN SA KARAHASAN AT HARASSMENT SA TRABAHO

2025-11-26T11:00:00.001+08:00

Ngayong International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, naghain ang TUCP Party-list ng House Bill 6367 o World of Work Free From Violence and Harassment Act upang protektahan ang lahat ng manggagawa lalo na ang kababaihan laban sa pisikal, sikolohikal, sexual, at ekonomikong pananakit sa trabaho.

Nanindigan ang TUCP at IndustriALL Philippines Women’s Committee sa pagtataguyod ng isang lugar ng trabaho na ligtas at may respeto sa bawat Pilipinong manggagawa.

TUCP: WORKERS DESERVE 14TH MONTH PAY AFTER NEARLY 50 YEARS

2025-08-19T11:00:00.006+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has filed House Bill No. 3808 to give 14th month pay to all workers in the private sector after almost half a century since 1976 when the 13th month pay was required by Presidential Decree No. 851. Senate Minority Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III has also filed a bill requiring private employers to grant workers a 14th month pay.

“Ang pagkakaroon ng panukala sa parehong kapulungan ng Kongreso ay patunay na hindi na sapat ang 13th month pay at panahon na para sa 14th month pay na matagal nang hinihintay ng ating mga manggagawa. Once this 14th Month Pay Bill is enacted, workers will get their 13th month pay earlier in June and will get the additional 14th month pay in December. Mayroon nang pang-matrikula para sa mga anak sa pasukan sa Hunyo, mayroon pang pang-noche buena sa pasko para sa buong pamilya!,” stated TUCP Party-list Representative and Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza.

Aware that some distressed companies may not be able to comply right away, the bill provides exemptions but subject to the strict approval by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

“These exemptions prove that we heed the concerns of employers, especially those who are struggling. But let us be clear: when workers receive more and better benefits, they are not only happier but more motivated and productive at work. And when productivity rises, so does profitability. Working families become more comfortable as businesses and the economy grow stronger. Together, we can make this 14th month pay work not only for our workers but our employers and the country,” explained Mendoza.

TUCP: MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS SHOULD ALSO GET 50% DISCOUNT IN METRO MANILA TRAINS

2025-08-18T13:00:00.007+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) calls on Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon to include minimum wage earners as beneficiaries of the 50% discount in LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3.

“As we continue to relentlessly press both the Senate and the House of Representatives to urgently act on the pending legislated wage hike measures: dapat gumawa tayo ng paraan upang ngayon pa lamang ay makaramdam na ng ginhawa ang ating mga manggagawa. Mr. Secretary, there are over a million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila alone and this is the least we can do to help alleviate their struggle in making ends meet,” stated TUCP Party-list and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza.

Based on the train fare matrix of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), a single train ride from Antipolo to Recto costs ₱35 or ₱70 per day for a round trip. For six working days a week, that amounts to ₱1,680 a month.

“With a 50% discount, minimum wage earners can save as much as ₱840 a month or an extra ₱35 take-home pay every day. Bawat pisong natitipid sa pamasahe siguradong diretso yan sa hapag ng pamilya para sa mas masarap at mas malusog na pagkain para sa pamilya,” explained Mendoza.

Starting September, special Beep cards with automatic 50% discount for students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities will be available on the MRT and LRT lines.

“But why are minimum wage earners left out? Kaya pa nating isama ang ating mga manggagawang Pilipino. Indeed, Mr. Secretary, the last thing we want is for our workers to fall in long lines all the time just to avail of the discount. Sobra na nga ang sakripisyo nila sa trabaho—huwag na nating dagdagan ng paghihirap sa pila. It should be simple: workers can present a certificate of employment, which states their salary, and be given special Beep cards for hassle-free rides to and from work,” added Mendoza.

TUCP urges Marcos to prioritize wage hike in SONA

2025-07-26T15:00:00.001+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cover both a legislated wage hike and decent employment in his upcoming fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In a statement. TUCP party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza cited the June 2025 Pulse Asia survey, which shows that most Filipinos want inflation, wages, peace & order, employment, and poverty tackled in the SONA.

The May 2025 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey also found that 92 percent of Filipinos believe the Senate should prioritize increasing the minimum wage, while 95 percent said the same for the House of the new 20th Congress.

“We are halfway through the Marcos administration, and this is the moment of truth. The state of the Filipino worker must be at the heart of this SONA,” Mendoza said.

He added that many people cannot go to work now to provide enough for their loved ones or even return home because entire communities remain submerged in floodwater.

“Mr. President, they are desperately looking for a beacon of hope. That hope lies in your swift certification of the P200 legislated daily minimum wage hike as urgent and your inclusion of bills for security of tenure and freedom of association to organize and collectively bargain for all workers in both the private sector and the government in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) agenda,” Mendoza said. - By Vito Barcelo

Php 50 Wage Hike sa NCR: Hindi Ramdam, Hindi Sapat

2025-07-01T09:30:00.001+08:00

Mariing tinutulan ng Pambansang Kilusan ng Paggawa – Kilusan TUCP ang Php 50 dagdag sa minimum wage sa NCR. Sa bagong sahod na Php 695/day, take-home pay ng manggagawa ay nasa Php 562/day — malayo sa Php 1,197/day na cost of living ayon sa IBON Foundation, at sa Php 20,000/month poverty threshold ayon sa SWS.

Ang Php 50 ay hindi sapat. Hamon namin sa wage board subukan ninyong mabuhay sa Php 562 kada araw, ayon kay Arthur F. Juego, Pangulo ng Kilusan TUCP.

Panawagan:

Ipatupad ang Php 200 legislated wage hike

I-certify as urgent ang panukala sa Kongreso

Repasuhin ang Wage Rationalization Act

Makatarungan, hindi limos, ang dapat na sahod para sa manggagawa.

WORKERS TO FIGHT HARDER IN THE 20TH CONGRESS FOR A LEGISLATED WAGE HIKE: TULOY ANG LABAN PARA SA DAAN-DAANG UMENTO SA KONGRESO—HINDI BARYA-BARYANG UMENTO MULA SA BULOK NA REGIONAL WAGE BOARDS!

2025-06-25T12:00:00.003+08:00

The National Wage Coalition, composed of BMP, KMU, NAGKAISA!, and TUCP, vows to continue, with even greater resolve, the historic fight for the first-ever legislated wage hike in nearly four decades in the 20th Congress. Workers will not back down from the failure of the 19th Congress to convene the bicameral conference to reconcile and finalize an enrolled wage hike bill. Stronger and wiser, workers together with their families will continue to march forward in calling on every legislator in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to refile and pass the legislated wage hike bill as their first and foremost priority measure as they reaffirm their rhetoric of support and commitment for its swiftest passage in the 20th Congress. This is supported by the May 2025 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that confirms what we have long known: 92% of Filipinos want the Senate to prioritize a minimum wage hike; 95% demand the same from the House. This is not only an overwhelming public clamor but a national consensus for wage justice.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has reiterated that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. is not against wage hikes because these will benefit workers. But this Administration must walk the talk: certify the legislated wage hike as urgent and include it among the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) because this is the raise that our nation and our people long demand and deserve—not the too little, too late, and certainly always unjust and unfair yearly wage increases from the regional wage boards. Their wage orders are a mere pittance insulting and condemning workers with not even enough to feed their families nutritious food, send their children to school, access medical help, or afford decent housing. And now, with oil prices surging due to global geopolitical conflicts, the cost of nearly every basic necessity is set to soar even higher. Standing for the legislated wage hike is not only good politics because it is good public service—it is a social, economic, and moral imperative.

For 36 long years, over five million minimum wage earners have been deprived of their Constitutional right to a living wage, entrusting their survival to the mercy of obsolete, failed, and broken regional wage boards which, by regularly handing out token scraps and crumbs to workers like spare change thrown to beggars, have inculcated helplessness and hopelessness among our people, conditioning them to accept by hook or by crook, sometimes even with gratefulness, any ‘barya-barya’ wage adjustment because it is better than nothing at all. Yet, both employers groups and the economic managers of our Government still perpetuate this systemic exploitation, serving the interest of overflowing greed, obscene profits, and an oppressive status quo designed primarily to favor the richest to be even richer, leaving workers not only with empty promises but empty plates. Their fake tales and scare tactics that the legislated wage hike will kill jobs, destroy businesses, and crash the economy have been heard, debunked, and buried not only by academics, economists, civil society, informal workers, and minimum wage earners but by the House and the Senate which, after years of exhaustive deliberations and debates, passed their respective wage hike bills.

With more time, and no more excuses, as well as greater unity and political action, workers across the nation will further organize and mobilize to reach out the countless unorganized workers paid even below the minimum, escalate the struggle with more allies and champions inside and outside of Congress, and carry out this movement of resistance and righteous anger: TULOY ANG LABAN. DAANG-DAANG DAGDAG-SAHOD ANG PANAWAGAN.HINDI BARYA-BARYA! HINDI SA SUSUNOD NA TAON—KUNDI NGAYON!

TUCP URGES SENATE FOR EXPEDITED BICAM & ENDORSEMENT FOR A WAGE LAW IN PBBM SONA

2025-06-08T12:00:00.010+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) calls on the Senate for an expedited bicameral conference, ratification, and endorsement for the signing of the wage hike bill before the 19th Congress ends so President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos will have something truly meaningful to uplift the lives of Filipino workers in his July 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“We are eager to work urgently with our Senate counterparts to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the wage hike bills—₱200 and ₱100 respectively—and ratify the final version on the same day. We fervently urge Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero and Senate Labor Committee chaired by Sen. Joel Villanueva to not deny the workers this much needed reprieve and to not succumb to the lazy economics of marketing the Philippines as a haven for cheap, unorganized labor to investors in ensuring their profitability instead of addressing the bigger business problems of high power costs, corruption, and ease of doing business,” stated TUCP Party-list Representative and House Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza, who will serve as one of the House bicam conferees.

Before the resumption of session, Senate President Escudero stressed the urgent need to pass priority legislation before the 19th Congress ends.

“No other single piece of legislation today would more directly improve the lives of Filipino working families than a legislated wage hike—be it ₱100, ₱200, or a middle ground of ₱150. We remind all social partners that the Senate and the House passed their respective bills without a "NO" vote. We trust, hope, and pray that this rare opportunity—transcending toxic political partisanship and cutting through the fear-mongering of elite employer groups and big business—will carry the day in the bicameral conference, leading to the swift ratification of the final wage increase as early as possible,” urged Mendoza.

The May 2025 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that 92% of Filipinos believe the Senate should prioritize increasing the minimum wage, while 95% said the same for the House, underscoring the overwhelming public clamor for a legislated wage hike.

“No amount of tired, baseless scare tactics by big business—who shamelessly invoke MSMEs and workers in the informal economy as their human shields to protect their obscene profits—can silence this groundswell of support for the first-ever legislated wage hike in 39 years. This wage increase bill is the result of years of exhaustive public hearings and deliberations in Congress wherein economists, academics, civil society groups, informal workers, and minimum wage earners themselves testified to the imperative of raising workers' wages now primarily to lift over five million minimum wage earners out of poverty. Big businesses' unsubstantiated and deceptive doomsday scenarios of massive inflation, unemployment, and business closures supposedly due to a wage increase have been debunked and refuted time and time again in these hearings. In truth, higher minimum wages drive inclusive growth by boosting consumption, which in turn fuels business activity and creates more and better jobs for all,” explained Mendoza.

IBON Foundation, based on the largest survey of business establishments in the country, found out that a ₱200 wage hike would only account for 9–15% of annual business profits—from micro to large firms. We must not forget that there are existing wage exemptions already in place for Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs), and billions in tax cuts and financial incentives already granted to corporations and MSMEs under laws like CREATE and CREATE MORE. Also, just like the Christmas bonuses and 13th month pay that boost consumer spending every year, minimum wage earners are more likely to spend the wage increase in the informal economy such as in carinderias, jeepney fares, market vendor sales, and sari-sari store essentials, hence raising the income of the informal economy.

“There is no grandstanding involved by doing our duty as representatives of the people and responding to their plea for a wage increase now. With due respect, it is not Congress but certain employer groups, big business, and armchair pundits who are being myopic and self-serving, doing a verbal overkill against the wage bill. The real threat to businesses and jobs is not the national wage increase bill but the insanity of keeping workers too poor, too sickly, and keeping their children hungry, through the broken regional wage boards that institutionalize the cheap labor policy. We have been in this situation for over three decades since the passing of the regionalization of wage fixing, and it has only proved a disastrous failure: workers trapped in intergenerational poverty with the so-called investments bonanza failing to materialize,” said Mendoza.

“We trust that President Marcos sees the legislated wage bill as mutually beneficial to workers, businesses, and the economy. The conventional wisdom being bandied around by some economists that higher minimum wages lead to lower employment has long been discarded as Nobel Laureates in Economics have established that higher minimum wages do not destroy jobs because they are not just a cost - they are an investment to boost demand and stimulate growth as it fuels more spending and creates more and better jobs. If we are to create a "Bagong Pilipinas," let us discontinue the practice of selling dirt cheap productive labor because it does not work anymore. The 36 years of regional wage fixing failed miserably. It mainly placed workers below the poverty threshold and no investment growth was triggered outside the developed regions. The economic managers are keenly aware that the other crucial factors for investments to enter are logistics, power costs and others. The ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ vision is incompatible with three decades long of a cheap labor policy, and the road to realizing that new Philippines begins with the pending wage hike. The legislated wage increase is the crucial first step towards a living wage for every Filipino worker,” underscored Mendoza.

MAYO UNO 2025: NATIONAL WAGE COALITION JOINT LABOR DAY MOBILIZATION ₱200 DAGDAG SAHOD, ISABATAS!

2025-05-01T12:00:00.007+08:00

Ngayong Araw ng Paggawa, libu-libong manggagawa mula sa iba't ibang unyon at pederasyon—TUCP, KMU, BMP, at NAGKAISA!—ay sama-samang magmamartsa patungong Mendiola upang iparinig ang iisang sigaw:

MR. PRESIDENT, CERTIFY AS URGENT!

CONGRESS, URGENT NA IPASA!

₱200 DAGDAG SAHOD, ISABATAS NA!

Tatlong taon nang walang pag-uusap sa pagitan ng Pangulo at ng kilusang paggawa. Sa harap ng nagtataasang presyo, gutom, at kahirapan, panahon na para ipasa ang kauna-unahang ₱200 legislated wage hike sa loob ng 36 na taon!

DALAWANG DAAN, ISANG BAYAN!

SAMA-SAMANG LUMALABAN ANG MANGGAGAWANG PILIPINO!

#MayoUno2025

#200WageHikeIsabatas

#NationalWageCoalition

#BosesNgManggagawa

#20TUCPPartylist

Trade union urges P200 wage hike certification

2025-04-29T11:00:00.003+08:00

At a press conference on April 29, 2025, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) called for a dialogue with the president to certify the proposed ₱200 legislated wage hike as urgent, days before the Labor Day celebration. - Analy Labor

TUCP hits gov’t managers’ reliance on standard job fairs

2025-03-06T23:00:00.023+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) criticized government economic managers for relying on standard job fairs, delaying the full implementation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Act, and harboring unrealistic expectations, with foreign investments resolving the issues at hand.

The labor group said since the beginning of 2025, over half a million Filipinos have lost their jobs, and nearly a million more are facing challenges in securing stable work and income.

In a statement, the TUCP, the largest labor group in the country said the economic leaders continue to rely on the same outdated strategies—hosting job fairs, promoting job-sharing initiatives that fail to provide genuine employment, and making hollow promises about foreign investments that are unlikely to materialize unless flawed policies are addressed.

According to the latest January 2025 Labor Force Survey, unemployment rose to 4.3 percent (2.16 million) from 3.1 percent (1.63 million) in December 2024, while underemployment surged to 13.3 percent (6.47 million), up from 10.9 percent (5.48 million) in the same period.

The TUCP demanded an immediate innovative intervention and stopped making excuses and delays.

The TUCP emphasized the necessity for the government to transition from merely formulating plans to actually creating tangible employment opportunities.

“The TPB Act should move past the usual statements about the need for improvements in job quality and income levels, focusing instead on the comprehensive implementation of strategies that generate more and better jobs. This includes not only sustainable positions but also those that offer living wages, job security, and full adherence to labor rights,” the TUCP added. - By Vito Barcelo

TUCP asks govt to aid Filipino ‘TNTs’ in US

2025-01-23T06:00:00.001+08:00

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Vice President Luis Corral

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has called on the government to create an inter-agency body “to synchronize efforts among government agencies, civil society, and Filipino organizations in the United States.”

“With nearly half a million undocumented Filipinos facing the potential threat of what could be the largest mass deportation in American history, the TUCP looks forward to working together with the Marcos Administration to consolidate efforts with urgency and dispatch to ensure the just transition of our kababayan,” TUCP Vice President Luis Corral said.

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to “deport all immigrants” residing in the US illegally in his four-year term and has expressed his intent to take executive action on his first day in office to end birthright citizenship, which currently grants citizenship to anyone born in the US regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

However, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said there may yet be stumbling blocks to the implementation of Trump’s controversial EO as a growing number of states are challenging it in court.

“There are already about 22 states as of an hour ago that have filed a suit against this executive order because it [birthright citizenship] is precisely in their constitution. We don’t know where that’s going… and that’s going, of course, all the way to the US Supreme Court,” he told ANC on Wednesday.

Romualdez emphasized that even undocumented immigrants have rights, and that the Philippine Embassy has been in touch with lawyers to clarify those rights.

The diplomat said that Filipinos who have a legal path toward US citizenship should immediately get lawyers to help them with their immigration goals, while those who are there illegally should go back to the Philippines voluntarily.

For its part, TUCP, one of the Philippines’ largest trade unions, affirmed its readiness to collaborate with the Marcos administration “to protect and promote the welfare of our kababayan in the United States spearheaded by an intensified information and education campaign to reach out to them about their rights, available resources, and assistance, especially accessible, affordable—ideally free—legal assistance.”

“We strongly advocate for a unified, coherent response, ranging from legal assistance to reintegration services, not only to enable the Government to effectively oversee these initiatives but also to empower our kababayan with a one-stop shop for accessible and comprehensive services,” Corral said.

He also highlighted the challenges faced by Filipinos due to illegal migration, particularly the lack of stable, well-paying jobs to support their families, stressing the need for equitable opportunities.

“We are prepared to accelerate efforts to reintegrate returning kababayan not just through employment facilitation but also through public employment programs led by the swift full implementation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act in synergy with DOLE and DTI,” Corral concluded.

As this developed, Tom Homan, the incoming border czar under Trump, affirmed that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “will start arresting public safety threats and national security threats on day one.” - By Rachelle Tonelada

PH unemployment, underemployment fall in November 2024 amid holiday season; TUCP weighs in

2025-01-15T20:00:00.001+08:00

TUCP CELEBRATES 49TH ANNIVERSARY: NEARLY HALF A CENTURY OF ADVOCACY IN ACTION FOR FILIPINO WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

2024-12-14T18:00:00.021+08:00

Our 49 long years of being the country's largest labor center began way back in 1975 when our founder Atty. Democrito “Ka Kito” T. Mendoza realized that for our unions and our federations to best fight for and win job security, higher wages, and decent work—we should be “giving the labor movement, through its collective force, an opportunity to exercise its political power.”

Today, our one big labor family TUCP remains that collective force as the leading voice and force in labor advocacy through tripartism with our very own workers' representatives at the forefront in influencing policy through our TUCP Party-list in Congress that uplifts the lives and livelihood of each and every Filipino worker and their family.

That’s why, amid the many challenges we confronted and conquered for nearly five decades, the TUCP Party-list continues to work for laws for the workers, especially the unorganized, by giving them jobs, justice, and equity.

Next year will be both our 50th Anniversary as well as the 2025 National and Local Midterm Elections: Tuloy ang laban ng TUCP para sa manggagawang Pilipino sa Kongreso!

We are the only workers' party in Congress today who successfully pushed for the passage of the 4Ps Law for those who have less in life, creation of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) para sa ating mga bagong bayani, Expanded Maternity Leave para sa kababaihan—at marami pa tayong ipapasang batas para sa manggagawa!

For nearly half a century, the TUCP has fought for living wages, security of tenure, and decent work inside and outside of Congress.

We increased the minimum wage of every region every year. Pero barya-barya hindi sapat! Tuloy ang laban para sa ₱150 across-the-board wage hike ng TUCP!

We passed the Security of Tenure (SOT) bill for the regularization of all permanent temporary & 5-5-5 ENDO workers back in the previous Administration. Na-veto pero hindi tayo susuko! Tuloy ang laban para sa SOT ng TUCP!

We filed bills and resolutions to make decent work a reality for all, lalo na para sa ating informal workers at delivery platform riders.

Dahil sa TUCP, laging una ang manggagawa!

‘Ka Kito’ once said, “If you have the people behind your campaign, believe me, the fight is already won 90%!” Let us make 2025 our golden year by mobilizing our worker-members and leaders in our respective unions and federations.

Because without all of you, there can be no TUCP that can unify Philippine labor, pass labor reforms, and extend medical, financial, employment, and education assistance to Filipino workers and their families.

Tuloy ang laban ng TUCP para sa manggagawang Pilipino sa Kongreso!

Ipanalo ang manggagawa at pamilyang Pilipino!

Mabuhay ang TUCP!

#TUCP

#TUCP49thANNIVERSARY

#unaangmanggagawa

PAG-ALAALA SA KABAYANIHAN AT PAGMAMAHAL NI GAT ANDRES BONIFACIO PARA SA BAYAN

2024-11-30T11:30:00.010+08:00

Mabuhay ang mga manggagawang Pilipino! Sa diwa ni Andres Bonifacio, ipagpatuloy natin ang laban para sa mas mataas na sahod, ligtas na trabaho, at makatarungang karapatan.

Sama-sama tayong kumilos para sa mas magandang kinabukasan ng bawat Pilipino.

#TUCP

#UnaAngManggagawa

#BonifacioDay

P150 wage hike pushed as TUCP party-list seeks reelection

2024-10-08T21:00:00.007+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines party-list on Tuesday filed its certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) for the 2025 midterm elections for its ninth straight year in the House, calling on Congress to pass the P150 legislated wage hike for private sector workers.

TUCP filed its CONA through its legislative officer Carlos Miguel Oñate.

“We are still pushing for P150 across the board wage hike. Bilang co-author ng Trabaho Para sa Bayan law, naninindigan kami sa TUCP na ang bawat Pilipino ay may karapatan sa permanente at disenteng hanapbuhay,” Oñate said.

(We stand by our principle that every Filipino has a right to permanent and decent jobs.)

Other party-list groups who filed their CONA on Tuesday include:

Sagip

Nanay

Arangkada Pilipino

Magsasaka

Agri

1-Pinoy

ARTE, among others

Wage hike

Asked about the biggest hurdle to the passage of the P150 legislated wage hike, Oñate said the cause needs more support to take root.

Bagamat kami po ay kalyado ng Marcos administration, patuloy po yung laban ng TUCP para sa Legislated Wage Act. Sa katunayan, maaaring may isa lamang po kami representante sa Kongreso, ngunit ‘yung co-authors po namin sa Legislated Wage Act, meron lang po kami halos isang daan sa House of Representatives,” Oñate said.

(While we are an ally of the administration, we will continue to push for legislated wage hike. We only have one representative but the co-authors of the measure are close to 100.)

“Kung kaya ang panawagan po natin kay Speaker Martin Romualdez at kay Congressman Fidel Nogales na siyang chairman ng House Committee on Labor ay idaos na po iyong pang-apat at huling hearing sa committee para finally i-approve na itong P150 [legislated wage hike] sa House of Representatives,” Oñate added.

(And so we call on Speaker Romualdez and Congressman Nograles who chairs the House Committee on Labor to conduct the final committee hearing to pave the road for the passage of this measure into a law.)

The Senate passed a slightly lower P100 legislated wage hike in May 2023, but it remains stuck at the committee level in the House of Representatives.—LDF, GMA Integrated News

(The Senate already pulled it off. If the Senate can do it, the House of Representatives can certainly do it better.)

- By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA Integrated News

TUCP SLAMS NEDA’S ABSURDLY LOW FOOD POVERTY THRESHOLD AS AN INSULT TO FILIPINO WORKERS: WHAT DECENT MEAL CAN ₱20 BUY? CONGRESS SHOULD ACT NOW AND PASS ₱150 WAGE HIKE!

2024-08-16T09:44:00.001+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) lambasts the National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) outlandish assertion that a Filipino can survive on three meals a day with a mere ₱64. Grilled by senators during the budget briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on how the Government classifies food-poor Filipinos, NEDA Secretary-General Arsenio Balisacan responded: “As of 2023, a monthly food threshold for a family of five is ₱9,581, that comes out [to] about ₱64 per person.”

“Is our country’s chief economic planner on another planet to not witness the crippling impact of skyrocketing food inflation, especially rice, and electricity inflation to Filipinos every day? This is a severe insult to Filipino workers who sacrifice their blood, sweat, and tears to do honest hard work but are reduced to a meal worth just ₱20! This is not just offensive—it’s dangerous. It threatens to undermine the much-needed ₱150 across-the-board wage hike proposed by TUCP as the Government and employers abuse these silly statistics to dismiss the survival crisis of the working class—to make ends meet,” stated TUCP Vice President Luis Corral.

The country’s largest labor center TUCP expresses deep indignation that workers are being forced, by their own Government, to endure standards and benchmarks that condemn them to perpetual hunger and a life of eking out a living on scraps. Without the immediate passage of House Bill No. 7871 which seeks to legislate an across-the-board wage recovery increase of ₱150 in the daily wages of private sector workers nationwide, workers can never bring nutritious food to their family’s table, resulting in malnourished children and sick workforce with their productivity and competitiveness dropping like a rock.

“Is this how our economic managers advise our President? Is this how economic planning and wage orders are devised? Really? Are our technocrats really basing their strategy on numbers that have no relation to the real prices of rice, poultry, meat, fish, and vegetables in the public market? Foisting that outrageous food poverty threshold is a grave disservice to the Marcos Administration which vows to reduce poverty to single digit not by statistical gimmickry but by actually improving the quality of lives and livelihood of every Filipino. Our economic managers are badly serving the Filipino people by building a supposedly robust economy on the backs of hungry people and poverty-level wages. Such an unrealistically low food poverty threshold only serves to arm those who oppose our proposed concrete, actionable, and reasonable wage hike, not only undermining the credibility of the Government but derailing our efforts to uplift the lives of our people and uphold their rights which should be the hallmarks of ‘Bagong Pilipinas’,” lamented Corral.

While the food poverty threshold according to NEDA is at least ₱64 per individual per meal, the Ateneo Policy Center estimates that the government-prescribed daily healthy food guide ‘Pinggang Pinoy’ for a family of five would cost ₱693. The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) last estimated the family living wage in 2008 at ₱917.

“No wonder, Filipino students are lagging behind international education rankings as they suffer or even die from malnutrition—principally because under the regional wage board system for 35 years of scraps as increases, workers’ wages failed to keep up with the rising cost of living and to fulfill the Constitutional right to a living wage,” explained Corral.

According to UNICEF Philippines, every day, 95 children in the Philippines die from malnutrition, and twenty-seven out of 1,000 Filipino children do not get past their fifth birthday. A third of Filipino children are stunted or short for their age. In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 survey among 15-year-old students from 79 countries, Filipino students scored lowest in reading and second to lowest in mathematics and science. According to the World Bank, nearly one in three Filipino children under five years of age is stunted primarily due to poverty.

“Congress can no longer afford to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to these absurd official statistics and skewed standards that distort the harsh reality faced by Filipino workers and their families. With high prices and low wages as the most urgent issues plaguing our nation, there is only one course of action: Congress must urgently pass the ₱150 wage hike proposed by TUCP to end the crisis of poverty wages further eroded by surging prices,” emphasized Corral.

General Membership Assembly KILUSAN-TUCP

2024-08-07T17:00:00.004+08:00

TUCP URGES: “SA IKATLONG SONA NG PANGULO, BIGYANG HALAGA NAMAN SANA ANG MANGGAGAWANG PILIPINO!”

2024-07-22T13:00:00.001+08:00

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) calls on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr., on his 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA), to place workers front-and-center in shaping our collective vision of a “Bagong Pilipinas.”

"Ang mga manggagawa naman sana ay bigyang halaga sa pangatlo niyang SONA," the TUCP urges, explaining the prevalence of precarious work such as short-term, low-end gig, and ENDO jobs with poverty-level minimum wages under which a family of five could not even afford three nutritious meals a day. "This vicious cycle makes workers 'disposable' and where they are routinely subjected to harassment and political profiling which is unfortunately the current state of Filipino workers," the TUCP stated.

The TUCP, the country’s largest labor center, reiterates the need for a long-overdue dialogue between the Philippine labor movement and the President to tackle the true state of Filipino workers and their families without filter or embellishments.

The TUCP feels that the Marcos Administration can do so much more by certifying urgent long-pending priority labor reforms to raise wages, uphold workers’ freedom of association, and create new, permanent, and decent jobs.

“We welcome the target to create three million jobs under the Trabaho Para Sa Bayan law, but these jobs should alleviate poverty in an environment that recognizes and respects the human dignity of every Filipino worker. This means improvements in the quality of life of every Filipino worker and their respective families. This means decent and permanent jobs where workers are paid a living wage and freely exercise labor rights without fear, especially their right to freedom to organize and join a union, and not just the insult of mere lip service to workers in addition to the injury of wage orders keeping wages low,” the TUCP explained.

Soaring food and electricity prices incessantly erode the purchasing power of workers’ wages especially as the ₱35.00 wage increase from the NCR regional wage board cannot even buy the workers and their families a kilo of quality rice.

The TUCP urges the President to certify as urgent the bill granting an across-the-board wage increase of ₱150.00 nationwide maintaining that the NCR ₱35-wage increase is insultingly paltry, which is not even enough to afford a decent meal, solve the crisis of malnutrition, and child stunting, fatally threatening Filipino children to be either too short for their age and mentally stunted or worst, being the reason why they cannot even reach their fifth birthday.

“Only the Congress holds the key to raise workers’ wages at levels that can afford three nutritious meals daily for their families and ensure their decent lives in the spirit of simple fairness and social justice. A substantial wage hike today is an investment for a bright tomorrow with a healthy and competitive future workforce,” underscored the TUCP. The TUCP also called on House Speaker Martin Romualdez to prioritize the immediate passage of the most urgent law demanded and deserved by every Filipino worker— House Bill No. 7871, known as the Wage Recovery Act, filed by the TUCP that seeks to give a daily across-the-board ₱150 wage hike nationwide.

The TUCP also reminds the Marcos Administration that trade and investments into the country are conditioned on the observance of labor rights and are not just all about providing an enabling business environment through ease of doing business. "Ang mga manggagawa naman ay bigyan kahalagahan! Bagong Pilipinas should be anchored on the rule of law, where our dark long history of anti-union violence, political profiling, and impunity aimed at workers and unions in the country definitely has no place,” the TUCP stated.

“We cannot have a ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ while the country continues to be among the ten worst countries for workers for nearly a decade. We trust that under President Marcos’ modern and modernizing leadership, we can correct our troubling track record in workers’ rights and promote a race-to-the-top labor relations through sincere and genuine social partnership with the workers," the TUCP emphasized.

In addition to the legislated wage hike, the TUCP calls on the President to certify urgent the following long-pending priority labor legislation to align labor laws and practices with ratified International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions. "Surely, the country would not want to perennially be in the shortlist for persistent violation of international labor standards for two straight years since 2023". The TUCP therefore calls for passage of the following:

(a) HOUSE BILL NO. 1512: SECURITY OF TENURE (SOT) ACT to end the pandemic of ENDO contractualization in the country and to restore security of tenure as the norm in labor relations.

(b) HOUSE BILL NO. 1518: UNION FORMATION ACT to strengthen the rights of workers to self-organization by lowering the requirements for union registration.

(c) HOUSE BILL NO. 5536: ASSUMPTION OF JURISDICTION ACT to limit the power of the DOLE Secretary to assume jurisdiction over labor disputes from the overly-broad “industries indispensable to national interest” to only those “industries providing essential services.”

(d) HOUSE BILL NO. 7043: WORKERS’ RIGHT TO STRIKE ACT to remove dismissal and imprisonment as a penalty for illegal strikes and lockouts.

Prioritizing these labor reforms promotes an enabling environment. But we not only need to put Filipinos back to work but create new opportunities, especially to our millions of fresh graduates every year. To this end TUCP asks the President to also prioritize the TUCP Jobs Agenda:

(a) NATIONAL RAILWAY SYSTEM CONNECTING REGIONAL AND PROVINCIAL AGRI-INDUSTRIAL HUBS. This will create new jobs, ensure food security, decongest urban metropolitan areas, and democratize wealth creation by promoting rural development and job generation. It will ultimately lower the cost of doing business throughout the countryside, incentivizing the entry of foreign investments;

(b) JUST TRANSITION PROGRAM, with tripartite partners in Government, labor, and business, to ensure human-centered and worker-friendly solutions, such as via massive reskilling and upskilling, to seize millions of new, permanent, and decent employment opportunities in green jobs, such as renewable energy and environmental compliance, and digital jobs, such as e-commerce and big data.

“With all our social partners, let us work together as one nation in upholding labor rights, building infrastructure, and prioritizing human capital development to generate more and better jobs today and tomorrow—tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas para sa Manggagawa, Mamumumuhunan, at Mamamayang Pilipino!” the TUCP emphasized.

Labor groups to Marcos: Certify proposed P150 legislated wage as urgent

2024-07-15T14:00:00.012+08:00

Labor groups on Monday called on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to certify the proposed measures for a P150 increase in the minimum wage of private sector employees as urgent.

The National Wage Coalition (NWC) made the call a week ahead of Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22.

“‘Yung mga panukalang batas natin na nakabinbin sa Kongreso, ‘yun na lang ang tanging pag-asa natin upang makadama ang ating manggagawa ng sapat na dagdag-sahod,” said Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Legislative Officer Paul Gajes in a media briefing.

(The proposed bills are our only hope for an adequate wage hike.)

“’Yung P35 na binigay ng Regional Wage Boards (RWB), hindi sasapat yun,” Gajes added.

(The P35 wage hike of the RWB is not enough.)

The coalition, composed of workers’ organizations including SENTRO, Nagkaisa, TUCP, and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, also urged Speaker Martin Romualdez to expedite the passage of the proposed bills at the House of Representatives.

“Sa tingin ng NWC, nararapat na bigyang-pansin ng Pangulo. I-certify na as urgent itong pending bills na ito at ang Kamara… sana naman i-expedite na itong bills na to,” said Gajes.

(The NWC thinks President Marcos should certify these bills as urgent and the House should expedite their passage.)

Earlier this month, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the P35 hike in the daily minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region (NCR), increasing it from P610 to P645 for the non-agriculture sector.

But Gajes earlier said the wage hike is not enough, describing it as “crumbs tossed to humiliate workers.”

“It’s high time that the President and Speaker of the House show their genuine concern for the underprivileged and heed the cause of the united Filipino workers for sustainable and livable wages. ‘Yung P35 just won’t do,” he added.

The NWC was pushing for the passage of the legislated wage hike as it raised concerns about the inadequacy of the minimum wage to provide families with a decent standard of living.

In February, Cavite lawmaker Jolo Revilla said there were at least 77 House members who would support the P150 legislated wage hike.

Also in February, the Senate approved a P100 legislated wage hike for private sector workers. — Story by SUNDY LOCUS,GMA Integrated News

The Regional Wage Boards are Unreliable and Unjust!

2024-07-01T16:00:00.001+08:00

The National Wage Coalition’s Statement on the Recently Issued Wage Increase

The new ₱35.00 wage increase for NCR workers issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board - National Capital Region office (RTWPB-NCR) is a disgrace. After several legislative proposals for an across-the-board wage increase, numerous actions held on the streets, and hearings with the labor sector — all with the intent to call and demand for a fair wage increase to adjust for inflation and the ever-changing value of our salaries, the RTWPB’s increase is nothing short of a heartless disregard for the economic crises faced by our workers and families.

The National Wage Coalition (NWC), which represents workers across various sectors and industries, has demanded for a wage increase no less than ₱150. Our minimum wages do not amount to liveable wages. We have presented our arguments based on factual and credible research. And yet our efforts amount to a low increase. The ₱35 increase does not even amount to measly change; it is not even sufficient for a kilo of rice. It makes up for only 30% of the lost value of wages in the NCR, which reached ₱100 according to the Consumer Price Index of May 2024. The NWC has stated before that the RTWPB-NCR has had 35 years’ worth of failure to issue fair and livable wage increases. This recent increase is no failure. It is the deliberate demonstration of the Board’s lack of empathy towards the economic needs of the working class.

With the RTWPB-NCR showing once again their unreliability and heartlessness, the National Wage Coalition demands Congress to address our calls accordingly. In light of this disrespectful and disgusting ₱35 increase by the RTWPB, Congress and the House of Representatives’ Committee on Labor must pass our proposed bills for an across-the-board increase of at least ₱150. Additionally, they must recognize the uselessness and irrelevance of the RTWPB-NCR and conduct a congressional review of our wage fixing policies under RA 6727. It is clear that such policies are insufficient and unreflective of our current economic needs. The RTWPB refuses to meet our demands, thus their existence must be challenged, questioned, and ultimately discontinued.

The National Wage Coalition urges the greater Philippine labor movement and all Filipino workers to press on with the fight for higher and fairer wages. We must act in solidarity in addressing Congress, so that they may truly understand the needs of the working class. You know the worth of your labor and more importantly, the value of your personal life and needs. And while this laughable ₱35 increase may be a setback, so long as we persevere, the fight for a higher wage continues. ###